The Online Magazine for Sustainable
Seas
July, 2002, Vol.5 No. 7
July, 2002, Vol.5 No. 7
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The Online Magazine for Sustainable
Seas
July, 2002, Vol.5 No. 7 |
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Coastal Alert |
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Philippines President wants illegal fishing ban enforced firmly In a statement, Afable said the President's directive came after Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor presented the National Fisheries Plan during the Cabinet meeting in Malacañang. Afable said the President also wants a stop to fishing in "over-fished and severely degraded areas". Instead, she proposed alternative sources of livelihood to fishermen in these areas, particularly on aquaculture. Afable said the ban on illegal fishing would be carried out in Southern Tagalog and Bicol. The Palace official said Macapagal has also ordered the protection of marine parks that play a significant role in eco-tourism. INQ7.net, 07.06.02, 6:38PM Business group, DENR commit to cleaner earth PCCI is the biggest business federation in the country with chapters in practically all 78 Philippine provinces. The highlights of the commitment include a pledge by government to involve the business community and other stakeholders in the framing of sound environment policy that sustains development, acceptance by both that flexibility in complying with environment laws is necessary for businesses to make adjustments, that room be made for innovative ways of adopting clean technologies and the demonstration of social responsibility, and that accountability be put where it belongs. Two innovative policy directions are being explored. One is for the government to come up with an incentive system for enterprises that adopt clean technology and processes or get involved in environment-friendly ventures. This should encourage investments in the creation of a more wholesome environment. The second is for the banking system through the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Bankers Association of the Philippines to initiate lending programs to help finance environment-enhancing business projects. DENR issues rules regulating use of genetic and
biological resources The order provides in detail the process by which DENR and other concerned institutions and agencies will administer Executive Order No. 247 in order to regulate the research, collection and use of biological resources. This is based on the basic policy in Section 2 of Article 12 of the Philippine Constitution which provides that wildlife, flora and fauna, among others, are owned by the state and their disposition, development and utilization are under its full control and supervision. The administrative order provides that:
Philippines has USD26.3 trillion worth of hydrocarbon
deposits Lt. Col. Luis G. Nemenzo in a paper said these deposits are ready to be tapped “but no sensible foreign investor would come in, because the government cannot guarantee a climate of security to underwrite their investments.” These deposits are found within the Philippines’ 200-mile EEZ, particularly the Kalayaan Island Group in the Spratlys. Hydrocarbon includes oil, which the chain of islands in the Spratlys is known to have vast deposits of. Nemenzo urged the government to fully implement without delay the 1996 Republic Act 7898, also known as the Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), to secure the country’s sovereignty. Craig Snyder, post doctoral fellow of the Centre for International and Strategic Studies, Joint Center for Asia-Pacific Studies based in Canada, said a survey conducted by China in 1989 indicated that the Spratlys have 25 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 370,000 tons of phosphorus and 105 billion barrels of oil with an additional 91 billion barrels of oil in the James Shoal area off the North Borneo coast. Earlier in 1988, Snyder said US geologists estimated reserves of 2.1 to 15.8 billion barrels of oil while the Russians estimated there are 7.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent, 70 percent of which are probably gas resources. Aside from oil and gas, the Spratlys is abundant in tin, manganese, copper, cobalt, nickel and other minerals, as well as marine resources. But Nemenzo said, while the Philippines has a 200-mile EEZ to secure, it “does not have a credible external defense capability to protect her own interests and territorial capability.” B. Cal in PNA, 07.07.02 DENR bares guidelines on collection and transport
of wildlife species
Banks, DENR link up for environment BAP president Cesar E.A. Virata said member-banks will not only promote sound banking and management practices but also environmental practices, albeit indirectly. “This is not an impossible task, but it will take a little while for all the members of the BAP to catch up with the emerging worldwide practice – that is, making banks as power instruments for promoting cleaner operations among its clients, thereby making a difference,” Virata said during the formal signing of a joint statement for environmental protection. Also signing for the banking sector was Simon R. Paterno, president and chief executive officer of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). The statement urges the different sectors to self-regulate for environmental management innovations and initiatives. For the banking sector, it means accepting environmental protection “as a good investment.” Virata, who is also acting chief executive for the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), said that a similar initiative was also undertaken last year within the banking sector. “Last year, the DBP and the BAP, along with the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) and the Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB), signed a statement on the environment and sustainable development. It was a sign of the bankers’ firm commitment to environmental protection and conservation of natural resources,” the BAP president said. That commitment was concretized when the banks adopted certain policies for its lending programs, such as requiring project proponents to secure environmental compliance certificates (ECCs) from the DENR to make sure that clients pursue environment-friendly operations. Some banks have sent their account officers to DBP’s environmental credit facilities training programs. Banks play an effective role in environmental protection by promoting cleaner production and pollution control facilities. “The environment is a major issue in almost anything that the banks are involved in. We can be discriminating in dealing with projects that pose potential danger to the environment,” Virata said. “We cannot be a party to a project that will pollute the air, the sea, the rivers, and lakes, because in doing so we will indirectly sap the people’s health and their productivity.” T.P. Torres in Philippine Star, 06.30.02 GMA launches program for fisherfolk Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable Jr. said the instructions were issued by the President during an executive committee meeting at Malacañang. Afable identified the six bays as Calauag Bay, Tayabas Bay, San Miguel Bay, Ragay Gulf, Lagonoy Gulf and Sorsogon Bay, all in the Southern Tagalog and the Bicol regions. Afable said the President also ordered the agriculture department to release P16 million for the training of fishermen in these areas in aquaculture and seaweed farming and to get them alternative sources of livelihood. Afable noted that the crash program for the fisherfolk will start within the next few days. The President did this, he said, because during her trips to the regions she saw that "there was really very extensive poverty among the fisherfolk in the marine degraded areas." According to Afable, the DA presented the National Fisheries Program during the last Cabinet Meeting in the Palace. "The President wanted this program focused and telescoped on these six areas immediately," Afable said, adding, "This will really be a crash program on these areas because she feels that the fisherfolk there are really in need of some relief from the government." Philippine Star,07.10.02 DA may allow selling of tuna to Davao market The Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council in Davao City has endorsed a petition to the national government to allow Davao fish traders to sell non-exportable tuna in the local wet markets by amending Administrative Order (AO) No. 195, which mandates that all tuna unloaded at the Davao Fishport should be brought to General Santos City. Montemayor said AO No. 195 does not have to be amended, as the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council can allow limited importation of fish if there is an urgent need or for food security reasons. He assured the move will not hurt the local fishing industry, given the limited volume involved. Tuna traders will have to pay customs duties to the Bureau of Customs. Philippine Daily Inquirer, 07.04.02 Red tide alert on in Zambales, Mindanao An official from the Department of Health said there have been no reported cases of shellfish poisoning. Eating red-tide affected shellfish can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. B. Parco in The Freeman, 07.09.02 Seaweed war: FMC says pollution case ‘harassment’ The memorandum noted that there has been no cease-and-desist order or even a notice of violation issued against the company, and urged the PAB to dismiss the charges against them. It also asked the PAB to direct SIAP to pay FMC Php21,000 in damages, attorney’s fees and litigation expenses. SIAP accused FMC of discharging excessive amounts of untreated waste water into Mactan Channel, the waterway along Cebu’s eastern coasts, thus violating environmental laws and causing the degradation of the marine environment. E.M. Dagooc, The Freeman, 07.05.02 Sail posters promote environmental awareness The exhibit was unveiled for the first time at the famous island resort Boracay in Aklan during the “1st Gallery of the Sea Water Arts Festival”, where 50 of the country’s top artists competed. Winning sails then traveled to Bohol for the Sandugo Festival held last July 17-21. They will also be exhibited in Batangas in September during the Clean Up the World Month, and at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. The top three sail-posters were created by Fidel Sarmiento of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP), Aner Sebastian, and James Hares. Eight sail paintings were given honorable mention. L.Q. Belen, Manila Bulletin, 06.30.02 Php 0.9M ‘blasted’ fish seized in Cebu in 2nd
quarter The seized boxes of fish were distributed to various charitable institutions. Elpidio dela Victoria, Cebu City Bantay Dagat Commission program director, said no one came forward to claim the seized boxes of fish after examiners of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) declared they were illegally caught. The items came from the northern towns of San Remigio, Daanbantayan and Bantayan Island. GC in Sun.Star Cebu, 07.10.02 Child labor case: Complainants withdraw
case vs fishing firm Lawyer Annie Saguisag of End Child Prostitution, which is assisting the boys, said her group received reports that the recruiters convinced the children’s parents to drop the case against ASD Development Corp., a commercial fishing operator based in Cebu. ASD, owned by the family of former congressman Crisologo Abines, was slapped with several charges including violation of Republic Act No. 7610, otherwise known as the Child Abuse Law. Muro-ami is a banned fishing method that often employs minors to dive several feed underwater and scare fish into the net. Saguisag said the “slow” justice system prompted the victims to drop the case. “Because of the slow resolution of cases, [the victims lose interest],” she lamented. The four minors were among 14 muro-ami divers who jumped ship two years ago off Palawan to escape the abuses of their maestro or manager. In their affidavit, the minors claimed they were required to work from as early as 6 in the morning, and even when they were sick. One time, they said, their maestro kept them in the engine room for more than four hours when a Navy boat sailed near their fishing vessel. An official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 7 said the three minors who withdrew their cases have gone home to Negros Oriental. The fourth child is staying in Palawan under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. F.J.J. Dungog in Cebu Daily News, 07.08.02 SEAFDEC holds seafood dish contest AQD, established in 1973, is one of the technical departments of SEAFDEC,
a treaty organization founded in 1967 to promote fisheries development
in Southeast Asia. FishWorld is a museum-aquarium-ecology park housed
at the AQD compound in Tigbauan, Iloilo. RAF,
Philippine Star,
07.07.02 World WTO members say disciplines on fisheries subsidies
must be improved One issue that generated debate in the Committee on Trade and Environment had been the relative importance of subsidies and of deficiencies in fisheries management. Some argued that inadequate management regimes and uncontrolled or illegal fishing activity were the main culprits, and that subsidies specifically designed to reduce capacity would actually be beneficial. Recent research by Gordon Munro and Ussif Rashid Sumaila, Subsidies and their potential impact on the management of the ecosystems of the North Atlantic (University of British Columbia, 2002), provided a technical analysis of the economics of subsidies' impact on fisheries sustainability. To the extent these findings challenged the environmental benefits of certain subsidies, they reinforced the case for improving WTO disciplines over subsidies with negative trade impacts. But the delegation from Korea said real world fisheries management was more complex than suggested by the theoretical analysis in this research paper. It was generally accepted that the main cause of overfishing was poor management of fish stocks and open access fisheries management systems, which creates a powerful economic incentive for overfishing. Thus, they argued, overcapacity will occur regardless of subsidies. The Japanese delegation said further study on the effects of fisheries subsidies in other international organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), was vital to address this issue in a scientific and factual manner. The United Nations Environment Programmed (UNEP) also briefed the Committee on its recent Workshop on The Impacts of Trade-Related Policies on Fisheries and Measures Required for Sustainable Fisheries Management in Geneva on 15 March. UNEP noted the potential for "win-win-win" outcomes through reform of fisheries subsidies and stressed the need for an integrated approach, which also addresses the role of fisheries agreements and management systems. Women making a difference in conservation “Sushila and Patricia have made important and lasting contributions to conservation. Not only are they effective stewards of our natural world, they are wonderful role models for other women seeking to make a difference," said Kathryn S. Fuller, president of World Wildlife Fund. This is the second year that WWF has presented the Women and Conservation Awards. These awards acknowledge exceptional achievement in two categories -- a woman's contribution to conservation and an individual or organization's contribution to enhancing women's participation in conservation. Each of this year's winners will receive a cash award of $5,000 to be used for conservation activities in their countries. Sushila Nepali has been an effective and committed leader in mobilizing local communities and governmental and non-governmental organizations for biodiversity conservation work for 18 years. Ms. Nepali began working with the WWF Nepal Program in 1997 as a consultant to prepare the Buffer Zone management plan for the Royal Bardia National Park. Beginning in 1998, she worked as an assistant project manager for the Bardia Integrated Conservation Project (BICP) implemented by WWF Nepal Program. Under her leadership, BICP was one of the most successful models of integrated conservation and development in Nepal. Nepali is currently the project co-manager of the Terai Arc Landscape in the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation program. She is one of the few Nepalese women working with local communities for conservation at a grassroots level under very difficult circumstances. Nepali received the Women and Conservation Recognition Award for contribution to enhancing women's participation in conservation. Patricia Skyer has a distinguished conservation career marked by numerous, profound program achievements. Skyer joined WWF's Community-based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) program in Namibia in 1996, working as a community development officer for the Living in a Finite Environment (LIFE) program. She was one of the first formerly disadvantaged Namibian women to join the program as a technical facilitator at the national level. In 2001, Skyer became the secretariat coordinator of the Namibia Association of CBNRM Support Organizations. Under her leadership to date, 15 conservancies have been registered by the government, providing their legal status and directly involving more than 33,000 people and more than four million hectares of land in a national conservation movement. Skyer received the Women and Conservation Recognition Award for contribution by a woman to the field of conservation. State of Africa's environment chronicled in ground-breaking
report Growing populations, wars, high levels of national debt, natural disasters and disease have all taken their toll on the people and the rich natural environment of Africa in the past three decades. Over the coming three decades new and emerging threats, including climate change, the unchecked spread of alien introduced species, uncontrolled expansion of cities and pollution from cars and industry are likely to aggravate levels of poverty, environmental decline and ill-health. Many African countries are now attempting to address some of the root causes of environmental degradation through initiatives such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). But a far bigger effort, by countries within and outside the Continent, is needed to steer Africa on a prosperous, environmentally sustainable, course. Actions include deeper cuts in Africa's debt burden, a boost in overseas aid, the empowering of local communities, enforcing environmental agreements, introducing green and clean technologies and allowing African countries fair access to international markets for their goods and services Without this, Africa is unlikely to develop in a way that benefits its people, its landscapes and its wildlife and ultimately the world, the report says. These are some of the findings from the Africa Environment Outlook (AEO). The report, compiled by UNEP for the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), has involved hundreds of experts. It is the most comprehensive and authoritative assessment of the Continent's environment ever produced. On coastal resources, in particular, it notes that:
Laws, requiring environmental impact assessments before developments can be undertaken, have been introduced by many African countries including Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and South Africa. Regional and sub-regional program and action plans, such as UNEP's Regional Seas Programme, are providing the framework for a more holistic management of Africa's coastal zones. Several important agreements and conventions have been created including the Nairobi, Abidjan and Jeddah conventions. However there is a desperate need for more trained staff, finance, equipment, research, monitoring, surveillance and enforcement of regulations. The African Environment Outlook is available at http://www.unep.org/aeo or http://www.grida.no/aeo or at Earthprint http://www.earthprint.com at $37.50. Japanese whaling ships leave port amidst storm
of controversy -- 210 whales to be hunted The whale fleet departed from Shimonoseki, Japan, which just last May hosted the most contentious meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in recent history. Under a self-allocated scientific whaling quota, Japan has announced it will now kill 100 minke whales, 50 Bryde's whales, 50 endangered sei whales, and 10 sperm whales. Since an IWC moratorium on commercial whaling came into effect in 1986, Japan has continued whaling under the pretext of "scientific research." In February, Japan announced it would expand its annual hunt to include endangered sei whales and increase numbers of other whales to be killed. In early May, representatives from 18 countries delivered a formal diplomatic communiqué to the Japanese Foreign Ministry calling on Japan to end its scientific whaling activities. The communiqué noted that Japan's whaling programs "are not supported by the majority of [IWC] Scientific Committee members and represent a continuously increasing level and range of catches for what in effect is a unilateral program carried out by a single member State, without the approval of the majority of the IWC's other members." "Sending the fleet out now to kill more endangered whales is a slap in the face of the international community," said Fred O'Regan, IFAW President. "Japan is undermining more than two decades of whale conservation. It's outrageous." IFAW warned that having failed to secure the approval of IWC members at the Shimonoseki meeting, Japan will now attempt to end-run that forum. Japan has already submitted proposals to downlist the protected status of minke and Bryde's whale species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which meets in Santiago, Chile in November 2002. "The Japanese Fisheries bureaucrats will stop at nothing," said O'Regan. "They didn't get the result they wanted from the IWC so they are now forum shopping, trying to ignore one international body and work through another -- CITES. CITES member nations and the rest of the global community should not fall prey to these tactics. It is time for Japan to stop whaling now." New Zealand creates new aid agency, contributes
anew to Mindanao peace effort Meanwhile, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Terry Baker and acting United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative Ricarda Rieger signed a Php5.8 million grant to support building the capacities of farming communities in developing sustainable crop, livestock and fish production and marketing within the former Zone of Peace and Development (ZOPAD). The amount will augment an earlier grant of Php8.3 million contributed by New Zealand to the United Nations Multi-donor Program (MDP3). As of June 2002, the New Zealand contribution to MDP3 had assisted 13 Peace and Development Communities (PDCs). It supported the implementation of community-based projects such as rice and corn production, honeybee production, cattle and goat raising and dispersal, and other agricultural projects. Baker said, “Being a small donor, we are pleased to be able to work with agencies such as the UN, which we know have presence on the ground and can manage our assistance capably and in an accountable manner.” Manila Bulletin, 07.07.02 NOAA repairs damaged coral reef "We're excited that we now have the resources to begin repairing the damage to one of our most beautiful coral reefs," said Sanctuary Superintendent Billy Causey. "In the 18 years since the freighter Wellwood ran aground, the damaged reef has not regenerated. We believe the restoration work should help put the reef on the road to recovery." The Wellwood, a 122-meter freighter registered in Cyprus, ran aground in approximately 18 feet of water on Molasses Reef in the former Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary on August 4, 1984, and remained there for 12 days. The grounding destroyed 5,085 square meters of living coral and injured 644 meters of reef framework, caused widespread destruction of bottom-dwelling organisms and displaced fish and other mobile marine life. In December of 1986, the Wellwood Shipping Company, the Hanseatic Shipping Company and Christopher Vickers settled with the federal government for $6.275 million paid over 15 years. The amount includes a civil penalty, as well as response, assessment, and restoration costs. NOAA is working with the construction contractor, Underwater Engineering Services, Inc., to place 22 modules at 14 locations on the grounding site. The modules are preformed concrete casts that are used to rebuild the foundation of the reef. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary "Reef Doctor" Harold Hudson designed the modules to replicate the older spur and groove formation of the grounding site as closely as possible and provide the maximum amount of habitat for fish, coral and other marine life. Hudson and other sanctuary staff members built the modules by hand over the summer of 2001, using small limestone boulders, a special composite rebar, concrete and sand. When the project is complete, the Sanctuary will install a permanent buoy marking the restoration site. Snorkelers and divers will be welcome to view the completed work, following the guideline "look, but don't touch," to allow marine life to settle and grow on the modules. Visit http://www.restorereef.nos.noaa.gov for project details, updates and pictures. The National Marine Sanctuary Program, established in 1972 by the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, is administered by NOAA's Ocean Service (NOS). The goal of the Sanctuaries Act is to set aside and manage areas for resource protection, research, enhanced public education, and compatible public and private uses. Today, 13 national marine sanctuaries encompass more than 18,000 square miles of America's ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources. For more information on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, visit http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov . To learn more about NOS and the National Marine Sanctuary Program, visit http://www.nos.noaa.gov. US seizes poached toothfish but must do more --
environmentalists The toothfish was caught by the Uruguayan-flagged Arvisa 1 in January. The Arvisa 1 and its sister ship Dorita were sighted off the coast of Antarctica by an Australian research vessel in January. The two vessels identified themselves as the Kambott and Nova Tuna 1 respectively and claimed no knowledge of nearby fishing gear, but the Australian government later confirmed that the two vessels were the Arvisa 1and the Dorita. The conservation community had been tracking both vessels and had notified governments of suspicious activities. The vessels have a history of questionable fishing practices, said The Antarctica Project. Recently, they reported catching hundreds of tons of toothfish from an area of the Indian Ocean outside the jurisdiction of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). CCAMLR is the international organization responsible for managing toothfish fisheries and protecting toothfish populations from illegal fishing. The group noted two serious problems with toothfish from this area: 1) biologically, it is highly unlikely that toothfish are able to survive that far north in the Indian Ocean, and 2) even if there are toothfish in that area, the fishery is unregulated, which means that there is no catch limit, no assessment of the population, and consequently no information on how much toothfish can be taken without decimating the population. "We are pleased that the United States and Australia have cooperated to seize this small shipment," said Beth Clark, director of The Antarctica Project, "but 33 tons is tiny compared to the thousands of tons of toothfish killed illegally each year." If the United States is serious about closing the loophole that allows the Arvisa 1 and the Dorita to bring its illegally caught fish to market, it will refuse to accept all toothfish from unregulated waters and from states that don't regulate their fishing vessels, the group said. The group also urged the United States to take the following steps at the CCAMLR meeting later this year:
“The United States has another opportunity to make it more difficult for illegally caught toothfish to make it to market,” the group said in a press statement. “The United States must support listing toothfish on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). This would require all 158 CITES members -- including all states trading in toothfish -- to accept only legally caught toothfish and help CCAMLR close some of the loopholes in its current tracking system.” Health of US oceans failing, report warns "As a nation we have not even earned a passing grade in managing this public resource, which belongs to all Americans. People can't always see the pollution in the water they swim in, or in the fish they consume, so they assume all is well, but it's not. Because the oceans look fine on the surface, people assume that, underwater, everything is fine, too, but it's not. When they don't catch fish, and the ones they catch are small, many people assume it's bad luck, but it's not," said Roger Rufe, president of The Ocean Conservancy. After examining five key issue areas, The Ocean Conservancy reports that:
"Today, almost no area of the ocean is off-limits to human alteration. With current technology, no part of the ocean remains too deep, too remote, too difficult to fish. As a result, the greatest threat to our oceans is overfishing," said Rufe. "We must change the prevailing view that fish are merely seafood and that oceans are fish factories. As certain species of fish disappear ocean ecosystems decline and this effect can have repercussions on all Americans as far-reaching as pollution or global warming." Mark Powell, fish conservation director at The Ocean Conservancy stated, "In my assessment, the United States has done a poor job implementing and enforcing measures of the Magnuson-Stevens Act passed in 1996, and as a result has done little to stop overfishing, minimize bycatch, and protect essential fish habitat. Congress should be engaged in strengthening the Act and should consider overhauling the entire fisheries management system, up to and including doing away with the fishery management councils." "For the past 25 years, the federal agency charged with managing this public resource has abdicated too much authority to the industry-dominated councils," he continued. "No other natural resource, not timber, minerals, or grazing lands are so thoroughly controlled by the very interests who extract the resource." Additionally, the report details the increasing impact of pollution resulting in thousands of annual beach closures, the deadly effects of the fishing industry on marine mammals, the growing problem of invasive species, and more. The report recommends a series of actions including:
"Five out of ten Americans have no idea their actions affect the health of the oceans," said Rufe. "Yet, just as people are the greatest threat to ocean health they are also its greatest hope. The task of managing and protecting our oceans lies with each of us." To access a copy of the report visit the Press and News page on our website at: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/dynamic/downloads/healthOceans.pdf . Warning on Adelaide's coastal waters To maintain the city's coastal waters in healthy condition is likely to require careful management in future, the Director of the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study, CSIRO Land and Water's David Fox, says. "It's not all bad news by any means, but we have found sufficient evidence in the first phase of our study to indicate that there are pressures and concerns," he says. The study, which covers an area from Port Gawler to Sellicks Beach and 20 kilometres to sea, aims to fill in large gaps in understanding of how the coastal environment functions, as a guide for its future sustainable management. Behind the study is rising public and government concern over signs of coastal degradation that have emerged gradually during the past half-century. Of particular concern is the impact of polluted nutrient-rich wastewater from municipal sewage treatment plants and storm water off the city's streets on the coastal waters, and the lack of urban water recycling. The effectiveness of recent investments in storm water infrastructure is yet to be established. Pollution studies show moderate to high turbidity (murkiness) and contamination by PCBs, lead, zinc and copper as well as high ammonia and chlorophyll concentrations. Elevated nutrient conditions are conducive to toxic algal bloom formations. A total of 4000 hectares of sea grass have been lost from the area between Aldinga and Largs Bay in the past 50 years. This peaked in the late 1970s when up to half the sea grass beds off Glenelg and West Beach were destroyed. Partly as a result of this, there is far more sediment in coastal waters, with up to 100,000 tons more sand being dumped on the beaches each year, Fox says. "This process has also changed the sea floor profile in parts of the coastal zone, which in some cases magnifies coastal erosion." Fox says that the sea grass losses also bring a dramatic 40-fold decline in the range of species that inhabit the area, when it changes to a bare sandy bottom. "Effluent discharges and increasing sediment threaten both the abundance and diversity of creatures living on coastal reefs. Cabbage weed is starting to smother mangrove seedlings in some areas, and in others, the exposure of a clayey bottom has increased the risk of alien marine pests moving in." Fox says that the Mediterranean fan worm, Sabella spallanzani, may have already colonized up to 3500 hectares in Gulf St Vincent, and there is a constant risk of invasion by exotic seagrasses. The Adelaide Coastal Waters Study is now moving to Stage 2 - two-and-a-half years of close investigation into how the coastal environment functions and copes with the impact that human activities have on it. Its key tasks include:
Fox warned that in one area - urban water use - there was ground for particular concern. "It is bizarre and ironic in the extreme, that in this driest of continents we have a one-shot mentality in terms of using fresh water. We build dams and reservoirs to give us security of supply, with all the attendant environmental problems they create. We then run that water through our towns and cities on a one-shot process, and dump it out to sea where it creates further problems. That's precisely what we're doing in Adelaide. We end up drinking salty water from the Murray and damaging the health of our coastal waters.” US Navy asked to halt bombing exercises in endangered
whale habitat On June 10, a NMFS aerial survey crew discovered the headless carcass of a right whale calf just to the north of the area designated as critical habitat for the endangered species. The HSUS has since learned that the US Navy has been conducting bombing exercises near an area known as Sharrer Ridge, only approximately 50 miles north of critical habitat and 60 miles northeast of Cape Cod. North Atlantic right whales are one of the world's most critically endangered species. Only approximately 300 animals remain and the population has been experiencing an overall decline. International and national scientific bodies have urged strict protection of the remaining population of right whales. Fisheries that entangle right whales are required to use risk reduction measures and the NMFS regularly issues alerts to shippers to warn of recent right whale sighting near shipping lanes. The most rigorous protection of the animals in the U.S. occurs in the areas surrounding their three critical habitats. Two of the critical habitats are in the waters near Massachusetts, where right whales are found feeding in substantial numbers in the late winter, spring, and early summer prior to heading north to critical habitat in Canada. This incident is similar to one that occurred in January and February of 1996, when several right whales were found dead off the coast of Florida and Georgia near their critical habitat in the Southeast. At the time, the Navy was conducting live fire bombing exercises just outside of the critical habitat. No additional deaths occurred after the Navy moved the exercise area. Said Dr. John W. Grandy, Senior Vice President of Wildlife Programs for The HSUS, "The Endangered Species Act requires that federal agencies consult with one another when they are engaging in activities that may adversely affect endangered species. We were alarmed to learn that the Navy did not take these steps to prevent the possible impacts on endangered whales from this sort of Naval activity." In addition to right whales, the Gulf of Maine is an important seasonal feeding area for endangered humpback whales and fin whales, which have been sighted recently in and near the areas where bombing has occurred. "It's a big ocean," said Sharon Young, Marine Issues Field Director for The HSUS "The Gulf of Maine is an important seasonal feeding and nursery area for whales. Surely there is a way that the U.S. Navy can avoid putting endangered whales at risk while completing their mission." Australia’s Catholic church embraces environment For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-02-02.asp Catching biggest fish may not be "best" Researchers David O.Conover and Stephan B. Munch said fishery management plans ignore evolutionary change in harvestable commercially important fisheries. They observed that in an experimental population of Atlantic silverside fish where large individuals were selectively removed, the average size of the silversides declined dramatically in just four generations. Conversely, when smaller fish were removed, the average size increased. Conover makes two suggestions to manage fisheries for sustainable harvest over the long haul: 1) A rethinking of the reliance of minimum-size restrictions as a basic management tool; 2) the establishment of no-take reserves or marine protected areas that may, if properly designed, provide for the maintenance of natural genetic variation of marine life. Angling to avoid toxic algae A South Queensland lake that turned a lurid greenish-yellow and toxic has led CSIRO's Dr Vlad Matveev to question a long-held scientific view that introducing lots of predatory fish can control blue-green algae, through their effect on the food web. The theory proposes that the big predatory fish eat smaller fish, which takes the pressure off tiny grazing water crustaceans normally eaten by the small fish. Numbers of these tiny grazers increase - and they control the algae by eating it. Working on a reservoir in South-East Queensland, Matveev found that the theory only works up to a point - and then it can backfire alarmingly, turning the lake a sickly hue and killing wildlife. "Initially we found that the introduction of bass had the desired effect. They ate the smaller fish, the grazing water micro-crustaceans multiplied. Algae went down. Water quality improved. "However, as stocking continued, the reverse effect began to appear. For some reason the small grazing water crustaceans went down in numbers, were unable to control the blue-green algae, and a dramatic bloom resulted," he said. "We think this may be because heavy stocking with large predatory fishes changes the whole food web in the lake, leaving sufficient spare nutrients to trigger an algal bloom." The scientists checked for other possible sources of nutrients entering the lake - but there had been no flow from feeder streams during the period the bloom occurred. On the evidence so far, Matveev feels that heavy stocking of lakes and rivers with fish like bass, driven by demand from anglers, can lead to declines in water quality and threats to the health of both humans and wildlife. "We conclude, that at least for Australian subtropical lakes, the theory developed in the US that big fish can be used to control algal blooms has limited relevance. From the results of our study, it would seem that there is a benefit in stocking lakes - but it needs to be done moderately if we wish to maintain their health. Overstocking may cause outbreaks of blue-green algae - so we need to manage the fish populations of our reservoirs carefully." This probably involves establishing a 'threshold stocking density', and setting an upper limit to the population of the big fish favoured by anglers, Matveev says. This limit may vary from one waterbody to another, and it will be a challenge to work out the best level for each one. Lithunian Foundation wins Swedish Baltic Sea Water
Award The Foundation's projects have among other results contributed to the reduction of Lithuania's organic pollution to the Baltic Sea from approximately 1,500 tons to 100 tons per year within the actual projects. The overall approach can serve as a model for other regions in the Baltic Sea area. The Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award, a regional award for water stewardship presented by Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, recognizes direct and practical efforts, which contribute to improved water quality in the Baltic Sea. Coastal Guide News, 06.28.02 Climate in a computer The latest seasonal prediction indicates the development of a weak to moderate El Niño event this year. "At this stage, neither the models nor observations indicate a strong event. This means that drier than average conditions might be expected over eastern Australia this winter and possibly spring, but it is not yet possible to say how serious these conditions may be," says Ian Smith from CSIRO Atmospheric Research. CSIRO is also using its climate model to investigate why southwestern Western Australia has experienced a significant rainfall decline since the 1960s. "Many groups are using statistical approaches to make seasonal predictions. They are basing their predictions on the link between observations of the atmosphere or oceans and periods of low or high rainfall," says Smith. "There is a danger that these techniques may not work if the climate, and these links, are changing. An alternative approach uses computer simulations that take account of the physics and dynamics of the atmosphere, biosphere and ocean.” In greenhouse assessments, the CSIRO model reveals likely future regional changes in temperature, rainfall, and evaporation across Australia. CSIRO scientists constantly check the results from their model against real-world observations and against simulations from researchers overseas. The model performs well in international comparisons. Climate models are complex, lengthy computer programs based upon the physical laws and equations of motion that govern the Earth's climate system. The models mimic the way in which climate behaves from day to day, and season to season. They incorporate representations of the atmosphere, the oceans and land surfaces, and the interactions between them, computing information about climate over a grid of points around the globe spaced about 200 hundred kilometers apart. Models are run on a powerful supercomputer. Typically, there are 18,000 grid points at the Earth's surface. These points are repeated at 19 heights in the atmosphere and at 30 depths in the oceans. This represents a total of some 720,000 grid points. For every 15-minute time step simulated, the climate model must solve a host of equations. In this way, it determines the presence of clouds, weather fronts and tropical cyclones and determines rainfall and evaporation. To simulate one year's global climate requires a host of calculations to be undertaken over 25 billion times. Often a climate investigation requires multiple simulations, showing the effects of randomness or chaos, well-known features of the climate system. For local-scale assessments, researchers use the CSIRO climate model and incorporate within it a fine-scale grid that enables them to study phenomena such as tropical cyclones. Website tracks annual migration of loggerhead turtles SC-DNR biologist Sally Murphy recently released five satellite tagged sea turtles from Cape Island in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge as part of this research project to determine dispersal patterns, migratory pathways and foraging habitat use of loggerhead sea turtles during the non-nesting period. Their movements can be tracked by logging onto www.cccturtle.org. "The numbers of loggerhead nests deposited on beaches in South Carolina have declined significantly during the last two decades," stated Murphy. "With the loggerhead turtle being our state reptile, it is important that we understand the relationship between these foraging areas and commercial fishing activities after the summer nesting season in order to implement management," Murphy said. In conjunction with the turtle release, CCC launched the 7th year of its successful Sea Turtle Migration-Tracking Education Program, allowing children and other Internet users around the world to watch the mysterious migrations of sea turtles being tracked by satellite. Utilized by people in over 22 countries, this education program helps students and others learn about the plight of endangered marine turtles. "The Sea Turtle Migration-Tracking Education Program is used in schools throughout Florida, the United States and worldwide and is a great example of how science and the Internet can be used to get students excited about learning," stated Dan Evans, Education Coordinator at CCC." Through the program, anyone with access to the Internet can watch along as scientists monitor the mysterious migrations of these giant creatures with regularly updated migration maps depicting the movements that will begin to appear on the CCC website. In the U.S., sea turtles nest primarily in Florida, but Cape Island represents the most significant loggerhead nesting beach north of Florida, with an average of 1,000 nests per season. Researchers have studied the U.S. population of loggerhead turtles for years, but it is still a mystery where they spend a majority of their lives. Through the use of satellite telemetry, researchers hope to answer that question in order to better protect the turtles throughout their range. To participate in CCC's free education program or to adopt a satellite-tagged turtle, call the CCC at (800) 678-7853 or go directly to the web page (www.cccturtle.org). Teachers wanting to include the program in their school curriculum can register on-line to receive a free 40-page Educator's Guide with background information, worksheets and ideas for fun, educational classroom activities. The Caribbean Conservation Corporation is the oldest sea turtle group in the world - celebrating over 40 years of sea turtle research and conservation. Florida businesses awarded for being 'sea turtle
friendly' "These awards provide a great opportunity to recognize coastal businesses for going the extra mile to protect Florida's sea turtles and their nesting beaches," said Dan Evans, STSL Education Coordinator. "Hopefully, the awards will motivate other beachfront establishments to review and improve their own efforts to safeguard Florida's sea turtle and coastal habitats." Over 90 percent of all the sea turtle nesting in the United States takes place on Florida beaches. Deep sea-deep space exhibit opens at Oregon Coast
Aquarium NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory provided information about the Deep Space Network, the international network of large-dish antennas supporting interplanetary spacecraft missions. The exhibit also illustrates radio and radar astronomy observations in the exploration of our solar system and the universe, including northern lights above the earth and long-range photos of comets streaming long tails. The transitional link between deep space and the deep ocean is provided by the many satellites circling the globe and the land and water observations made by NOAA. Ocean researchers use mapping data gathered from satellites, ships and remote-controlled cameras on the ocean bottom. The NOAA portion of the exhibit details ocean-bottom research work taking place at the Axial Seamount, located 250 miles west of Newport, Oregon) as part of the NeMO (New Millennium Observatory) Project. The site has been under observation for the past four years and is best known for its seafloor hot springs or underwater volcanoes, called hydrothermal vents, where organisms live that may be some of the oldest on earth. The Aquarium's exhibit includes a split section of a hardened chimney core from one of the smaller hydrothermal vents. In addition to viewing the scientific information about the NeMO Project, visitors may try on for size a genuine World War II-era Mark-5 dive helmet formerly used by deep-sea divers. The brass and copper helmet with glass windows was donated to the Aquarium by retired U. S. Navy diver Greg Apodaca. Seafood “jubilee” means easy fishing in Mobile
Bay "Jubilees" may occur in other areas, but have been recorded almost yearly since the 1860s in Mobile Bay. They usually take place on an early summer morning after a cloudy day that includes a slight east wind, a calm bay surface and a rising tide. Additionally, conditions must include low levels of oxygen in the water, warm temperatures and stratification, in which freshwater floats on top of denser saltwater. When this occurs, the gentle east wind pushes the low-oxygen water shoreward, and sea creatures must stay ahead of it or swim over the top in order to breathe. As a result, bottom-dwellers are pushed to the shore as the low-oxygen water moves toward them. Flounder, stingrays, eels, blue crab, shrimp and smaller fish are trapped at the shoreline. The lack of oxygen causes them to behave strangely as they move slowly and struggle for air, and it gives residents a chance to capture some of the victims. As many as several thousand pounds of fish and shellfish may be harvested at one time. By sunrise, the "jubilee" conditions subside and the affected fish swim back to the bottom of the bay. Sea Grant News Reef Relief sets fund-raising cruise For more information contact the Sea The World Cruises & Tours at 1-800-743-6800 or via e-mail: stw@terranova.net |
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